August 26, 2022
Courtesy/City of Philadelphia
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is moving toward starting construction on its new Schuylkill Avenue Research Building, a 14-story tower planned next to the Roberts Center.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is in the midst of a $3.4 billion development plan that will multiply its facilities in University City and along the eastern bank of Schuylkill River.
The Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, a 21-story tower completed along Schuylkill Avenue in 2017, was the the first of at least four Philadelphia projects planned by CHOP in the years to come. Now there is progress on the 14-story Schuylkill Avenue Research Building, at 2716 South St., that will be constructed next to the Roberts Center.
A submission packet to the city's Civic Design Review Board shows a number of renderings for next project, which will be built atop the the existing parking garage that's next to the Roberts Center. Portions of the Schuylkill Avenue Research Building will be encased in glass, to give the campus a more inviting appearance and to put "science on display," as the project's architect, Cannon Design, describes it in those documents filed with the city.
A rendering of the Schuylkill Avenue Research Center looking south from South St.
A rendering of the two CHOP towers side by side.
The new tower will include 10 stories of research and laboratory space, along with a second floor entirely dedicated to lecture, conference and collaboration space. There will also be opportunities for retail on the building's lower levels, along with outdoor spaces to engage the surrounding community.
The project will presented to the Civic Designer Review Board for the first time on Sept. 6.
Earlier in August, CHOP presented its plans for the tower at a community meeting with the South of South Neighborhood Association, laying out a timeline that would see construction begin in October. The erection of the tower would take place in 2023 and the building would be enclosed by fall 2024, with occupancy beginning in the spring or summer of 2025.
CHOP's presence along the Schuylkill River near the South Street Bridge could grow even more in the years to come with other projects that have been planned for future phases.
This year, CHOP has been putting finishing touches on its Hub for Clinical Collaboration, a 19-story building at 3501 Civic Center Blvd. that will add 560 new beds for patients. The building is expected to be completed next year.
The other major project CHOP has in the pipeline is its new Inpatient Tower at 515 Osler Circle in University City. The 23-story-building is expected to be ready in 2028, adding at least 300 new patient beds with space to accommodate more in the future.
CHOP also has plans for a pair of inpatient behavioral health units and a new behavioral health outpatient center.
